Jereme Tendler had tipped in his second of the weekend to bring Blaze level on the powerplay with just under four minutes remaining in regulation time of the Challenge Cup game.

Blaze had looked like they were running out of gas against a Steelers side that was hard to break down, and the point looked like a decent effort with yet another stand-out performance from Brian Stewart.

But with a few seconds left on a generally unremarkable overtime, Steven Goertzen was wiped out at centre ice by a Sheffield player.

Play was allowed to go on and with Blaze out of shape, Tyler Mosienko had the extra space to score the last-gasp winner.

Blaze were furious, and coach Marc LeFebvre disappeared into referee Michael Hicks’ room straight after the sudden-death defeat to make his feelings known.

He said, diplomatically: “I was very disappointed by his performance.

“We had a difference of opinion over that call.

“I think we battled hard, and Sheffield were there for the taking. I thought we were better five-on-five for the first 40 minutes but we gave them too many powerplays.”

Both sides had a workmanlike feel about them and they cancelled each other out to a large extent in the first two periods. Brian Stewart was pulling off his customary low level acrobatics, doing the splits to block a shot from a loose puck.

Blaze had possession but posed little threat up front. A five-on-three powerplay yielded little. Cale Tanaka’s speed generated some chances, and there were some good shots from the point. Goertzen went close with a puck that he met at the net. Unfortunately it was at chest height and he was unable to convert it.

Blaze started the second period more brightly. Craig Cescon fired well through traffic from the point and Ashley Tait made a fine move to get a shot away – only to hit Frank Doyle’s shoulder.

Then the pendulum shifted Sheffield’s way, and they started pinning Coventry back in their zone, without showing much threat of their own.

Mike Egener fired off four good efforts in a single shift to create a little Blaze pressure, but the home side then got into penalty trouble. They killed a five-on-three and saw Rory Rawlyk come out of the box and get on a breakaway. His shot wasn’t convincing and in the ensuing confusion, Sheffield skated up the ice and Gord Baldwin fired a shot from the blue line that hit both posts and went in.

Out of nothing Kyle Bochek produced an equaliser, steaming through centre ice and any Steeler in his path before roofing the puck. Hicks deliberated for some time before awarding the goal – Sheffield claiming it hadn’t gone in the net. It took the Steelers just 13 seconds to reclaim the lead, marauding down the ice, pulling the Blaze out of position and Michael Forney getting the shot.

Tendler’s equaliser came on the powerplay from a Ryan O’Marra shot, and a point seemed a good result by that stage. But the finish left a nasty taste in Blaze fans’ mouths.